There is no Beauty without some Strangeness - Amnesia Fantasy

Megumi wanted to stay. She wanted to do something, but knew that she couldn't, not for long. She had her own curse and her own love to worry about back in Wonderland. He was probably fearful that she was dead or worse right now. With her leaving without memory, she could go down many paths he might take. She could find another to love her, she could be hurt, she could be killed by so many possibilities and so many ways, it would make anyone's head spin. He probably would even go as far as to think that she abandoned him, that she had finally been chased off. Without his song or Wonderland's, how could she return? No, she had to fix things between herself and Ukyo before she could think of helping Kazuko and Kent, as much as it hurt her heart. "We'll just have to put our faith in them and make sure we're accessible. With the wolves decaying, you would have a better shot making it back here if needed. I don't know if I can."

"You're here for her right now, to entertain while she heals to put Kent's mind at ease. Let's see what we can do until we leave. Two days is plenty to plant a good seed." Shin said softly.

~*~

It was close to midnight, and Megumi guessed that she shouldn't be too surprised that a candle made her go down to the "forbidden room". Shin had just told her that Kent had an idea of how to break the spell. The room was glowing a sad, bright blue and Kent's face was reflected by the light.

It was a ghastly sight of him. Half of his face was handsome, with strong angular features and narrowed, thoughtful eyes which were dark underneath. The other half was a skeleton's, a flap of skin torn like someone had took his face and ripped it. His hands and arms were covered with long sleeves and gloves of his outfit, clearly hiding away the rest of the look. "I'm dying."

Megumi took that as permission to come closer and looked inside the jar. There were only a few petals left on the barafae's body. The poor fae was dying too, and there was nothing that could be done. No tale, no song. "A month left."

"Probably not even enough or close enough." Kent sighed, "I fear I grow desperate."

She nodded solemnly. The cloak made no movement to try to comfort her. Here, it knew that this was a serious moment. "So what are you going to do?"

"The one thing I told you I wouldn't do. Kazuko owes me a debt. Therefore, that is her price, her company."

Megumi winced, "So you'll take her prisoner?"

Kent looked upset, "If I must, then yes, that's what I'll do. But I don't think it'll be like that. No, I will tell her that she should stay in the castle to be with me for a month. I'll tell her that it's illogical to go out when there are things that will be out to kill her."

"Don't be so stupid. Just tell her your lonely and be done with it. You don't need to frighten the girl." Megumi snapped. "She wants to clean the castle. By hand. She can't do that in a short amount of time. So let her do what she wishes."

"There are rooms not even you're allowed in." Kent was baffled, shaking his head. "It's whatever, so long as she doesn't go into the rooms I marked." He turned his attention back to the rose. "I'm happy and scared. Happy that there's a way to free myself away from this curse. Scared for what it might mean to me and to her. I had vowed never to become a villain and yet, perhaps I play the part better than Ikkyu does," he looked up at her, "I'm glad you got your memory back. You can once again tell me stories about your Mad Hatter."

Megumi smiled, though she couldn't help but to think that this was Kent's way of saying goodbye to her. He must have figured that the curse was what made the wolves be as they were now, decaying and dying just like the rest of the kingdom. Just like Kent. He was hoping that keeping Kazuko for a month would help her figure out the curse, but even if it didn't, then at least he and the castle wouldn't die alone.

She walked around the table and hugged Kent fiercely, "I'm so sorry, Kent. I couldn't help you."

"You can't save everyone, Megumi." Kent embraced her close. The smell of death and life was overwhelming to her, but she didn't dare turn away. She held him close and he sighed softly. "Your Hatter has fallen under a spell himself you know. You should be more concerned on how to break that, than to worry about how to break mine."

"I think I have an idea. It's going to be a leap of faith, and I don't know how he'll take it, but I think it will work. If not, it'll buy me nine months of time."

Kent pulled away, confused but he didn't ask her to elaborate. He knew that it had been talked about a long time ago. "I wish you the best of luck. I hope to stay for that long. If not, then-"

"You'll see." Megumi interrupted. "You'll see."

()

"Megumi, will you hear my song now? I know you have to get back soon to your Hatter, but I said I would and I want to." Kazuko came up to the orange haired woman, twisting her hands. The time was up. Her bandages were off, though the injuries weren't fully healed. The medicine Hisako sent was especially good, but she was no wolf.

Her time with Meg and Shin had been good, trading stories and offering ideas of what to read in the library, passing the time the only way they could. She'd started slow with the cleaning, mostly her own room just to see what she could get done in a small amount of time with limited resources. Meg had been impressed and told her once she really started going, Kent wouldn't even recognize the castle as his own. Kazuko was sad Meg had to go, but really, this place could get drab and boring. At least she had set her mind on something to occupy herself, and she didn't even know Kent's plan for her.

"I would love to hear your song. Should I cut off the magic again?" Megumi was also a little saddened that she had to leave Kazuko. Shin was right, one of them should stay behind, but a King couldn't leave the castle for long and Wonderland was calling her home as well. It was getting a little harder for Megumi to use her magic, and was relying a little on Ukyo's support, just so she could do what she needed. She was no stranger to a life without magic, but with story telling, it brought a little flair and she was supposed to be entertaing.

"Isn't it already? I thought it stayed that way?" Kazuko tilted her head, but she shrugged, "You don't...have to, if it went back to the way it was. It's not anything too incriminating, anyway. If he hears, it's fine." She took a breath and they went to the conservatory. She'd also cleaned it up with Megumi's help, cleaning twigs and leaves and clearing the paths, scrubbing down the benches and whatnot. There was still a lot of work to do, but at least there was a door that lead out into the main castle gardens where she could throw the dead things. One step at a time.

"Hatter's going to be so happy you're back. Give the Queen my regards as well?" One of the questions Shin had asked was how she was so well-fed and not as ghastly as the other villagers. She had a permit to hunt in the Diamond Kingdom, which lay between all the others as a sort of center tie. She wouldn't dare eat anything from here. Wonderland she would go to for fruits and berries, and the bakery there was fun as well. She was friends with Sawa on top of it, who gave her good treats from the bakery. A whole day's worth for a trip but she'd be set for a week or two at a time, especially if she got a good deer, too.

Megumi hugged Kazuko tightly. She was saddened that she was going to leave her alone here as well. Shin or her really should stay, but a king shouldn't stay away from the castle for too long, and Wonderland was calling her home. It was getting harder and harder for her to use her magic here, that she had to resort to relying on Ukyo's support. Whether the curse was affecting her or her nerves about returning home, she didn't know. "You're the only one save the other kingdoms that support her. That'll serve you well in the long run. I'll tell Hisako that you say hello, and I'll tell the Hatter about you. You're a tale that deserves to be told from beginning to end." She let her go, "I hope to see you in happier moods. Whenever or whatever that might be."

"Let me sing for you one last time, so whatever you tell them will be accurate." Kazuko felt humbled, if a little embarrassed, that Megumi praised her so much. Taking a breath, she pulled away. It always helped to move as she sang, and the spell she cast on the garden fell away much quicker here, in the heart of the sickness. So, closing her eyes she let the words come, stronger than the days prior now she had mostly healed.

"I used to dream about the heroes of stories...As life became an endless night. When hope was gone you resurrected my spirit...Brought me from darkness into light..." Kazuko remembered her journals. Maybe, if she managed to get far with Kent, she would go home long enough to bring them back for him to read.

"I can sense a storm is coming
Anchoring you to me

Far beneath my skin and bones
I harbor my divided soul
My greatest source of strength
Might be my downfall
But love was not a choice for me
I held my breath and took a leap
And when I lose myself
You help me stand so tall

I listen closely and hear sweet strains of music
I'm captured in a reverie
Through all these years you've been my quiet salvation
Reflecting who I want to be

Please for my sake no more talk of
Blessings and curses tonight

Far beneath my skin and bones
I harbor my divided soul
My greatest source of strength might be my downfall
But love was not a choice for me
I held my breath and took a leap
When I lose myself
You help me stand so tall

Standing in silence we look out at the water
Amazed how much the world has changed
I see behind your eyes such wisdom and sorrow
You're wondering if we're still the same..."

Kent had been walking along the conservatory hallway when he heard a song that had a beautiful voice to go with it. He stopped, closed his eye, and listened to the story that was being weaved. He wondered who the love of the song could be. Himself would be a huge leap and also inaccurate. Yet, dying alone was too painful to go through. If he could at least get her to promise a month of her time, she could then return to the love in her song. He quietly turned around and left, certain now that death was the only path he had left to take.

"Again, your voice brings me comfort, though that tale you sang of yourself sounds familiar." Megumi mused, "were you talking about Kent?"

"I..." Kazuko rubbed her arms and came to sit as close as she could to Meg, "I gave these last few days to make sure, but I'm certain that it is. See...there's a place not far from here, an island sitting in a stream, and for the longest time even as it became more dangerous to travel the forest I went there. The waters would glow around the island, and I'd...feel him. My Ghost. Kent...he is the Ghost. The part where I spoke of blessings and curses...that's where it changed from Ghost to Kent. I'm not stupid, nor naive. As your love heals the Hatter, mine could heal him, but only if he lets me. I already love him, but I have to prove that to him. He has to believe me, and love me back, for anything to work. I just hope what he plans for my debt isn't something out of my reach and capability."

"Believe me, unless you have a pressing appointment that you need to attend to sometime soon, it's not out of your reach." Megumi denied instantly. "But it's going to be hard on your soul. Unless you can make him believe you, you're going to be watching him suffer. You may even watch him and the kingdom wither away to nothing. I spoke too much. I hope that you love him after you see what you see. That's all I can hope for."

'If he dies, so will I.' Kazuko left the vow unspoken, and stood up, "I'm sure Shin has Night and Marie hitched up and ready for you both to leave now. I suppose there's nothing left to do but to try and get to know him, and him to get to know me. I'll walk you out and say goodbye, since he can't."

Megumi smiled warmly and followed Kazuko out of the garden. She had a feeling that the next time she was here, everything would be different. Yet, perhaps that would be a good thing. Kent could use more than just her and Ikki as his bright light.

~

When the Heart Carriage was well out of sight, Kazuko went back into the castle and took a deep breath, "I'm going to your parlor." She said to the shadows, and then walked through the halls without the candle guide, "The suspense is driving me batty. How about you tell me your conditions now, huh?" she smirked just a bit, trying to hide the fact her stomach was doing flip-flops, and she found a seat near the dead fireplace, waiting for Kent to make his presence known.

"I don't think I'm asking for much, but if I am, then we'll come to another set of terms. I wish for you to stay till the next month ends." Kent said, walking with her towards the parlor. "I know that my castle isn't in a condition to accept guests. Nor am I the most entertaining of gentlemen. But I will try to accommodate you the best that I can. If you wish, if you feel uncomfortable being the only woman here, I can make a plea to Megumi to stay as well. However, I cannot promise a good answer for she has her Hatter to worry about and as much as he tries not to limit her freedom, Wonderland sometimes does for a time. Such is the curse and blesssing, loving a man like him."

Kazuko watched his shadow move but he didn't sit. So, she stood up again and walked as close as he usually allowed her. "The end of September...the anniversary of the curse, isn't that right?" She watched the black shadow carefully. "It's fine if I'm the only one. I think you're plenty entertaining, when you actually allow for a conversation instead of brooding. I'm no good at chess like Shin, really I'm only good at cleaning and reading and gardening, my cooking's mediocre but at least it's edible. I was surprised Meg and Shin liked it, but even if you said you did I couldn't see your face to really tell. Body language is important."

She sighed, "I'm sorry. I don't mean to push. That was just me rambling. You'll probably get to hear me talk a lot to myself as the days go by. It's something I do, but I've been trying to keep myself in check. Show yourself to me when you're ready, Kent, not before. I'll wait. Just ignore me." She wrung her hands together, "I don't know what I was expecting, but I honestly thought your debt request would be a lot worse. Silly, considering all you did was heal me."

God, did he really want /her/ company for a month and a half? She was a mess, and he'd see it slowly emerge. Not really alone, as his shadows were him and he would be where she asked in a heartbeat, but he wouldn't be by her side for every waking moment and would just have to listen to the shadows tell him of her questionable sanity. Only insane people talked to themselves, at least that was what she had heard whispered behind her back.

"You ramble like Megumi when she has a thought, it's soothing. Not annoying. My castle has been quiet for some time, so don't trouble yourself." Kent told her, shifting. Did he want to know what types of ghastly thoughts she had about the debt? Probably not, it wouldn't do him any good any way. He ignored her about the body language. "I'm glad that you're willing to stay. No boundaries have changed since you been here, nor the rules. Just stay as you are and we'll part as friends."

Kazuko felt...angry. "Don't /lie/ to me." She held her finger up at him, "I promised to be honest with you, so you do the same, Kent. We both know it's not that simple, because when I leave here you'll be dead." It made her heart wretch and her stomach bottom out at her feet. She felt so /sick/ at the word it made her dizzy. She licked her lips and tried to swallow the bile that rose in her throat, and her eyes burned. "The land dies with you, and you don't want to be alone. I understand that. I'll spend as much time as I can with you. You call for me and I will come. I'll keep myself busy when I don't want to read, but I'll stay with you." 'When he dies, I will, too. It looks like September is the end of it all. I won't tell him that, but...' "I want to enjoy these days with you, Kent. Let's not taint it with falsehoods."

Kent was quite surprised that he was called out so easily and feircely. He bit his lip and looked away. If he still wore his glasses he would be pushing them up his nose. "I see." What else could he say to that honestly? He was touched though that she was willing to be there during his death. "Thank you, for taking on this burden."

()

Maya sat leaning against the same tree she had hidden behind when she was younger. In her lap was a large pad of parchment and in her hand a charcoal stick. She had put a notice on her storefront that she was resting and would be back in a week. After the success of the ball and so many dresses made and sold, she would be set for a whole month. She didn't need much, living alone in a little cottage with only a few rooms. It was actually nice, letting bruised and battered fingers relax while she slid the charcoal over the white expanse in front of her. It was mindless, her arm and fingers moving as if on their own. A stroke here, a swipe there, an ark just so, swooping in and twisting out. A soft smile played on her lips as she worked, seeing without seeing the image she wanted to create and bringing it to life.

Yes...she would paint this. She'd drawn several angles and poses, some fantasy, some what she remembered, just practicing, getting things just so, and now she was definitely ready. Maybe...even if she couldn't sell it for fear of being found out, she could keep it for herself in her room.

Rika had found her after the ball and tried to tell her Toma had found her sash and fan, and had asked around, but even the one who ratted her out for not being on the guest list wouldn't say who she was. Rika's theory was that they didn't /want/ him to find her, because they knew he wouldn't pick any of them. It was...

It wasn't fine. Maya wanted him to find her, but she had told Rika the opposite. She was magic-less, just a commoner, no real noble standing like Rika, not even a lady in waiting like Rika's little harpies. Just a dress maker by day, painter by night. She wasn't okay with being the mystery girl from the ball, but hopefully with time she could move on. He would, too. Plenty of eligible ladies who obviously wanted his attention, his crown, his power and treasury. Greedy beings who didn't deserve him, but she didn't, either. She didn't want any of that, besides his attention. Eyes of topaz she couldn't wait to paint just right, how they glinted like the stone she pictured them as. Hair like golden sunshine wisps. A smile so tender, shining bright just for her because she'd taken his hand.

It had been wrong to go. She should've let Rika leave without her, spend more time with her long-time friend Ikki dancing and enjoying herself. Not popping seams and re-sowing and pricking fingers to the point they /both/ had to wear gloves to hide their effort. Not getting there only just to leave soon after. It wasn't fair to Rika. It...hadn't been fair to herself, or even Toma. No forbidden fruit of sex had been had, but a sweet, forbidden fruit non-the-less and she wanted more, but couldn't have it.

Tears blurred her vision and smeared the paper, but it was fine. She had a photographic memory and could recreate it on canvas next.

"You shouldn't be so close to the Hatter's world, m'lady."

Maya's head snapped up and she had to wipe her eyes so she could see properly. There was a man on a horse not too far away from her, brows furrowed and eyes full of concern, lips turned down. His hair was a mousy sort of brown, thin and whispy. His eyes were a dark green-yellow hazel like moss, and his skin was very tan. A man who worked in the sun all day. His jaw was firm and chin had a cleft in it. Cheekbones jutted out and his lips were thin. He wasn't a looker by any means, plain, common, but he wasn't entirely displeasing to look at, either. His frame was large, but well proportioned. Thick thighs, firm calves, bulging biceps, broad shoulders, and huge hands gripping the reins of his horse.

"Why shouldn't I be here? I don't go into Wonderland, but I like the difference between the skies and clouds here." Maya jutted her chin stubbornly.

The man looked behind him at the marble sun, then at the dark forest, and back to her. "Tis more like an Underland at the moment, m'lady. I watched the Red Queen's-"

"Don't call her that." Maya snapped, and she closed her parchment pad and grabbed her charcoal, getting to her feet.

"Excuse me?"

"Don't call her the Red Queen. She's the Heart Queen. She's been doing her /damnest/ to be rid of that horrible time when the curse clouded her mind." Maya huffed.

His eyes narrowed, his jaw ticked, and his big nose flared at the nostrils. He looked real angry and kind of intimidating, but then he took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "She let her people die, as mine did."

Maya's eyes nearly popped from her head, "You're from the Clover Kingdom?"

"Aye, I was just a stable boy. I left the castle with my parents before the curse hit. No one was left but the Prince. For years I watched things decay, then my family and I left for here when I was seventeen. Tried to woo a lass, but she was too interested in her damn books and journals than me. Kept going to a stupid steam that ran by the castle, too. I wasn't about to deal with someone so reckless."

"You're...Garrett, aren't you? You sold Hisako her horses, as well as a bunch of others." Maya frowned deeply.

"That's what I was about to tell you. I saw her carriage with those horses leave for the Clover Kingdom. Hatter's storyweaver and the Queen's mate left. Hense why I told you not to be near here." Garrett huffed. He turned his horse back towards town, "It's quite a walk back. Where do you live? I was simply out for a ride when I spotted you in all that yellow, like a sunflower."

"Offering to take me back to safety like some knight in shining armor? You're severely lacking in the armor and your horse is only partially white." Maya quipped.

"Only if you agree." Garrett shrugged, "Won't be nothin' at all."

Maya sighed. It really was quite a ways back home. Going to his horse, she hesitated before reaching out, and he hauled her up with ease. She wasn't used to being manhandled like that, and squeaked and blushed hard. He smirked over his shoulder at her, and then urged his horse forward. It was a nice trot, nothing too fast that she felt like she would fall, but she did have to grip his thick waist to stay steady. Horses gave her headaches with all the bouncing and swaying, but she could endure. Something told her Garrett would be coming by her place a lot once he learned it's location. She wasn't entirely sure if she was okay with that, but...she had wanted to move on. Maybe this was her chance.

~

"What's that?" Garrett asked a few days later. Maya had been right. Garrett was there every afternoon as he came back from his joy rides, every time with a different horse. Exercising them, he said, but part of her wondered if he was showing off.

He was looking at a painting she had done a long time ago. Her view as she had watched Toma, Hisako, and Shin play. The merging of two worlds around them. "That's one of my favorite paintings. Its pretty amateur, in comparison to my newer ones."

"I can see why you like that spot so much, lass. Too bad Wonderland has turned so dark. You should sell the painting." Garrett hummed.

Maya sputtered, "I've never sold any of my works, and I can do so much better...why that one?"

"I can see it hanging in a child's room. Its got all the things this world used to be, all wrapped up into one. Someone would like it for the nostalgia, I'm sure. I'm sure you can find a way to sell it, and then work on selling the rest of the piles you got in here. You need to make room for new by selling the old." Garrett went over to one of the stacks leaning on a wall and looked at it contemplatively.

As much as she hated he hadn't even been in her life a week and was already making demands, Maya had to begrudgingly admit he was right. An idea popped in her head, "I have a friend who could help me rearrange my Dress shop to sell my paintings, too."

"See, there you go." Garrett grinned at her. It made her blush at how boyish he looked when he did that, but her mind was still making comparisons. Even as she sold what she had now, the one she had started she would refuse to part with.

Little did she know, she would be commissioned for something much bigger soon.

~*~

Returning to Wonderland was exactly as Meg expected it to be. She could hear a song sing throughout the land the moment she entered through the border and she just knew that he felt her magic snap to him like a rubberband. There was a strong sense of welcome and relief. There was also a need to run, and Megumi was never the person to deny her instincts. She ran through the forest, trusting it to lead her wherever it needed to lead her. She followed the winding path and jumped off when she knew she needed to. The flowers tried to distract her from her journey, but she ignored them the best that she could. She had a place, no a person, to be.

She ran till she ran out of breath and then looked to see a person of green and black. Gripping the cloak tightly and taking it off of her, she jumped on Ukyo's back and she wrapped him in the cloak and in her arms, holding him tight against her. "I know your song." She murmured in his ear.

"You startled me!" Ukyo laughed a bit breathlessly, the air knocked out of him from the force of her jump, "You were going so fast through the forest you were making me dizzy. I didn't know where you were going so intently." He gripped the cloak and took a breath. It smelled of their mixed scents. She must've barely taken it off, if at all, during the two days. It made him calm and happy, and he eased back so she could touch her feet to the ground. He fixed the cloak so it wouldn't fall off, and then turned to face her, his peridot eyes regarding her curiously, "My song, sweetling? What do you mean?"

"The song Wonderland sings when I come home. The song your soul hums when I can't be here to feel your emotions or see your state of mind. Your magic, it sings too. Sometimes so loudly it drowns my voice." Megumi laughed a little, feeling dizzy with happiness and love. She could feel it in Wonderland, and she vaguely wondered if it was the combination of their happiness and love that made her so dizzy. "I'm home, dear heart."

Ukyo's Adam's apple bobbed and he shifted, "I gave you an option three, would you still like to hear the third? It's not as happy as I feel, but still accurate." He didn't speak in circles nearly as badly as when they first arrived, and he did it mostly for her benefit since she had been so upset by it.

She knew that once he spoke the quote, he might leave. "Once you tell, stay a while. I have a bargain to make with you. But I would like to hear it, yes love."

Love. She had called him her love and he gripped his chest, bowing just a little, "In visions of the dark night, I have dreamed of joy departed. But a waking dream of life and light hath left me broken-hearted." He chewed on his lip, eyeing her carefully, "For listening to my quotes of three, I'll let you hear the fourth for free." He shifted, "Sweet love, you say you know my song, yet do you remember that we loved with a love that was more than love?" He felt his eyes prick, "What is in a name, sweet love?"

She went close to him and cupped his cheek. She ran her thumb against the bone and she stared at him, his eyes more soulful and expressionate than Wonderland itself. "I remember. Though, since you gave me three it's only fair three is returned. So, tell me to speak, and I'll let it ring. Tell me to whisper, and it's in the wind of your mouth. Tell me to sing, then make me a duet and a song you will receive."

Ukyo's body shook, and Wonderland was still as he held his breath, the two of them waiting for his answer. Wonderland had been so strong when she came back that it had blindsided him. Even the dark side of him had been shaken. It was dangerous, /he/ was dangerous, but God he ached. He ached in his heart, mind, and soul. He needed her in his life. Did she even know? The wish he made, the curse he'd set upon them in their Origin World? He brought a shaky hand to her own cheek, "I'm greedy, sweet love. I want all three, but start me slow and whisper it to me."

She pushed herself close to him, but not too close yet. She kept her hand there in his cheek and wrapped the other around his neck. She brushed her nose against his before tracing her way down his cheek and then placing her lips on his. It was innocent at first, and then she nipped his bottom lip. At his hitched gasp, she kissed him deeper, pouring her love first. When he pulled her closer, bending her body against the hard plane of his, did she kiss a little deeper, showing her longing and desire for him before carefully pulling away. She stayed close and near, feeling the heat that arose between them. "Ukyo." She breathed against his lips.

A long groan heaved out of him and he crushed her to him, "I can't...all my soul within me burning, sweet love, I /can't/..." he waved his hand beside him and then with a harsh push he had her against the nearest tree, "Meg...Meg, say it louder for me...I need you. Need you. Been waiting, needing..." The cool chill of an unusual August vanished, heat spiking, the breeze no longer cool, leaves whistling loud at the rush. His mouth was everywhere on her, locking lips, twirling tongues, then nipping and kissing her jaw to her ear, down her neck along her pulse, and he didn't bother trying to remove her dress, just pushing it up as he got her leg up against his hip. "Special, it was supposed to be, but reaching for you is like drinking from a memory...it burns, everything burns and hurts and..." he choked on his own breath as she drew him to kiss her again, and he worked his pants loose, straining hard, unable to stand the thought of being two separate entities anymore.

She knew. God did she know. It burned, it made her want. She kissed him hard when she felt like all he was going to burst. She moaned when she felt him against the heat of her core, already soaking with the promise that he was going to fulfill. It was hard to keep her head on straight. He made her want just as badly as he wanted her, "Ukyo." She said, her voice catching when he bit on her pulse. He pushed aside her panties and she whimpered, she couldn't think straight to imagine them off. "Don't doubt that this is special to me." She told him breathlessly, holding him close and sucked her own mark into his neck. "I want you, Ukyo."

"So wet...for me, for me..." Ukyo was losing himself, but did either of them care? No. He was so heavy in his hand as he guided his shaft to her center, rutting, rubbing against her, trying to lube up so he wouldn't hurt her too badly. Something told him even if he did, she wouldn't mind. It would pass. He hated the prospect, but they were both so needy and she was grinding down on him, pushing just the head in of her own accord and he gasped, gripping her thigh hard enough he was sure to bruise her. "Meg!" he whimpered, "I'm sorry, just hang on to me." He begged her and when she did, he rolled his hips a time or two before giving a good, powerful thrust, going right to the hilt in one smooth motion and he buried his head in her neck, the tears from before that he'd fought back spilled over.

She never thought that this would feel so good. He was in her deep and her abdomen felt full. She felt his tears on her shoulder and she clung to him a little harder, her own slipping down her cheeks as well. They had only gotten so far in her memory, she doubted they had done this before. Yet, the way he moved and gripped her felt practiced, like they had done this song and dance before. Maybe those so close moments were. Perhaps they counted. Regardless, this felt like coming home, like a reunion of sorts. "Please. Please, bright love, move." She pleaded to him. "I'm okay. It's okay. I need you."

The moment he did, both their bodies shuddered. She was so slick, so tight, and all he could do was mumble nonsense in her ear. Madness, love, were they really that different? Wonderland thrummed with his energy, their energy, mixing and mingling. Truly it felt like home, like they belonged here, but still his hand twitched for the new dagger on his belt. His darkness wretched forward and thrust into her hard and cruel, slamming his hips to her pelvis, then brought his dagger out, "Such a cruel mistress, you are!" he hissed, voice twinkling, and the tree bark went from plush cotton softness to harsh bark that ripped at her back through her dress. "Just because you remember a name doesn't mean you'll make it to the end of the month!" he narrowed his eyes as she squeezed down around him, making him choke, and arched into him, no less wanting than before. She opened her mouth to speak, but he drove his hand towards her.

Only the dagger landed in the tree by her shoulder, and Uki sagged into her, trembling. "You! Get out! I don't know who you are, but you're not me! Who I used to be! You're a danger to her, I will not allow it!" he placed a hand over Meg's mouth, his eyes white and glowing, "I'm going to have to have you die a little death for me, sweet thing. Sing for me, sing my name, our names. Feel me, feel me, we love with a love that is more than love, sweet thing. Trust me, trust me." He kissed her firmly, rolling hard into her again, and then pulled her from the tree, away from the dagger, and waved his hand again. They landed in a thicket of red barafae petals, red sparkling powder puffing up around them. Another wave, and they were completely naked. He soothed his hands over her back where the bark gouges were as he raged war with the broken soul inside of him. He felt for the Other Ukyo, crying no and please, but this was not their world. The world where up was down and down was up. They belonged elsewhere, where the castles and villages were made of steal.

It physically hurt him, he was being ripped apart from the inside out, but he wouldn't let it show. He kept up a rhythm as he watched Meg begin to flush and react to the barafae powder, getting slicker, soaking the both of them, and he was feeling painfully hard and so hot. "Sing, sing, sweet thing, then die a little death with me. Should be with Ukyo, but I'm more powerful right now. Just trust me, trust me...fall anytime, I'll fall with you and be there to catch you."

Meg clung to him harder as he set a much more brutal pace. He coaxed her legs up higher, making it easier for him to slide in impossibly deeper. She keener loudly as he pushed bruises into her hips and sucked another one on her neck and collarbone. He found the mound of her breast and massaged it no gently as he was pounding into her. She could feel that he was trying to starve off a fight. That something was wrong. But she was in too much pleasure to do or say anything that would help, if it would help.

The first time she fell, it wasn't enough to sate the hunger and she could feel his liquid warmth go up her womb. "Ah! Uki!" She cried as she fell into white hot bliss, but not a black warm sleep.

They only rested for a moment before he manhandled her into a different position, lying on their side, her leg hooked once again over his hip. The thrusts were shorter, but nonetheless powerful as he moved. He pulled her so close against him, she had no choice but to either cling to him or the flowers whose perfume only made her go mad.

Mad. Who decided such a thing and what did it look like? Did it look like this? A rut in the middle of the forest without a care or thought of being stumbled on? Was it mad that her death brought him at the knees to a Faery Queen to grab her life only to fail against her and now had to kill her in turn?

Regardless the position wasn't doing much and Uki must have thought the same. He rolled her over so that he was now behind her and she was in face first amongst the petals of the barafae. Though she did have a second to wonder if it really was the petals that were making her burn this much, so much so she felt like she was near a fireplace, or if it was this man who yearned, ached, and burned for her the same. She keened when she felt slide in deep. Deeper that the tree and when she fell with him before.

"Yes...yes, sing, just like that..." Uki groaned and one hand found the middle of her back, holding her to the bed of petals while the other hand held onto her waist. His head swam with pleasure, pounded with a horrible pain, but even as he came once he would stay hard for her. They might as well be like Shin, in heat and in rut, needing, needing, and his chest and soul hurt so much it felt like his sternum was going to burst open, He couldn't go more than twice right now, maybe three times. The war was too strong, and he growled low, "Meg...Meg...let go, lose all thought. Just feel...feel me...gunna breed you, Megumi. Just like wolves. You're my one and only. Need you so much. So hard for you, sweet thing. Feel me?" he gave her a hard thrust, pulling her back against him, and his fingers wound into her hair, "So tight, clenching around me. You like that? Sweet thing, sweet thing, yes..." his whole body was on fire, the powder effecting him now, seeping through his magical resistance with so much of it around them, filling the clearing, every pore and ever sense.

She barely had words to give. She felt herself get wetter at the thought of him impregnating her, though that was probably a given at this point. But he was hitting her hard and deep and she was loosing conscious, yet wound up tighter than thread. She gripped the ground, fingers in the earth as he went at her. It didn't take long this time. Once, twice, he hit hard and finally the string snapped. She screamed his name and felt him tighten against her, pulling her so close she had no choice but to accept his seed. It was all she remembered feeling before falling into a warm, pleasant darkness


It was dangerous. Only a moment. He wavered as she sagged, her eyes closing and breathing shuddering. The entire world seemed to stop and hold it's breath. Shaky, he rolled her onto her back, her body limp, and his eyes glowed purple now. With a snap of his fingers, her breathing stopped completely. Both Ukyo's screamed, and he leaned forward, pressing his ear to her chest where her heart beat should be. A breath. Two. Three. "She's gone..." The words were heavy on his tongue. "She's dead."

Screaming. Screaming of 'no' and 'please' and cackling of 'I told you' and he sat up as his own scream joined theirs, but no words, just pain. Wonderland seemed to explode with it, everything shining white and blinding as his energy erupted.

Light shot from him, pure power and energy, into the sky and then the white turned into a soft purple glow, somber and the wind was soulful. Another snap of his fingers as his eyes returned to peridot green. His vision was blurring and turning black at the edges, but he watched as she sucked in a gasp and jerked awake. "Welcome back, sweet thing." He leaned down and kissed her, just a brush of lips, before everything went black and his body thumped beside her. The Faery Queen's curse on them was broken, but not the curse of the cycle as the other Uki and Ukyo had to find a way to survive in their true world. At least he felt himself back to normal again, and Meg's energy was just as strong as it had been before this whole mess. That made him take his own little slice of death with peace.


She felt her throat hurt and throb, as well as a burning in her chest. She felt fuzzy in her head and a tingly sensation on her skin. She watched him sleep, content and at peace. The dark circles that lingered underneath his eyes were being soothed away by his victorious smile. She moved so that she could lay her body close, and hold him through their sleep.

She whispered softly, pushing his hair away and holding him close, " But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we—
Of many far wiser than we—
And neither the angels in Heaven above
Nor the demons down under the sea
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of you my dark and bright light."

()

"Hisa-chaaaaan!" a light and cheerful voice came from a tall and lanky man sauntering into the palace. In his arms was something as large as his torso wrapped in white, and he had a spring in his step as he barged into Hisako's throne room where she was holding counsel with Meg and Shin.

"I was just thinking we could at least have you send your own advice to both of them, Kazuko had just sent Kent's hawk out to message Ikki when we left...Waka-san?" Shin glanced over his shoulder, blinking at him, unperturbed by the interruption.

"My my, don't you look worse for wear?" Waka walked closer and a frown turned his smile around, "What have I missed? Meg-chan! You look positively better every time I see you. Hatter has been keeping me up to date on what's going on during our tea dates. I'm glad you said his name."

"Kent also might have someone to lift his curse, but we were just telling Hisako she might want to send a letter with advice for both." Shin sighed.

"Oh how splendid!" Waka bounced again, "I never lost hope, I'm just worried about it happening with so little time. Ah, well, love knows no bounds, does it, Meg-chan?" he beamed at Megumi, and then he thrust his package towards the Queen, "A gift! For you and Shin! Perhaps you can put it in a nursery when you two /ever/ decide to have pups, hmm?"

Hisako shifted in the throne. Pups. It was a thought, even though she knew why they were holding off on having any. But it was a thought to entertain in the near future. With so many curses being broken and the Hatter slowly returning to himself and Meg stringing him along, Wonderland would soon be the safe place it once was. Being Queen did mean that people would have been looking at her for heirs right about now, but it was still hard. Her reputation of being the Red Queen and not the Queen of Hearts was still prominent. Undoubtedly if she had pups, they would be hunted down before they even had a chance to say their first word. "A gift?" She decided to say instead, "Waka you spoil us."

"Don't you know it, dear." Waka smiled broadly and Shin took the gift instead, taking off the white covering and immediately his breath caught in his throat.

"This...Hisako, it's us...when we were kids, with Toma." Shin turned it the painting towards his mate and watched her expression morph, "Someone had to have been watching us then to paint this." He was amazed by the vivid detail of the merging of worlds, the colors and while he couldn't make out their faces, it merely looked like three children playing, the colors of the kids...Hisako in her red cloak, him in his black and red, and Toma wearing white and yellow. It was stunning.

Hisako looked at the painting, her eyes widen at the sight. She couldn't believe the detail that she saw. Especially the care taken in Toma. "Waka, do you by chance know who this artist might be?"

"One who has a lot more paintings than this, old and new. She told me what she had in her shop barely scratched the surface." Waka grinned, "Her name's Maya. She made tons of dresses for Toma's Ball. Apparently the rancher I saw there, Garrett, convinced her to sell her paintings." He eyed them curiously, "Thinking of buying more?"

"I haven't seen the fan or sash Toma got from the party, since I haven't been back that long, but maybe we should show him this?" Shin looked at Hisako.

Megumi had been silent as they talked among themselves. She finally spoke, "Let's invite both of them here." Hisako and Waka looked at her in surprise and she knew that they had forgotten that she was there. "Toma likes to collect art, but I never heard him mention an artist named Maya and knows all of them in his land. It'll give her a boost in reputation, to know he and the Heart Queen likes her art."

"Likes her talent so much that she was imprisoned and forced to do art for the rest of her days or till her quality went bad, then what do you know?! It was off with her head." Hisako said dryly.

Waka laughed heartily and grinned at Hisako, "Maybe a commission could be made and little miss Maya could do a portrait painting for Toma?" he wheedled, "His mother's been trying in vain to add his to the wall, but he hates everything any other artist tries. Something's always wrong. Yet, it was so very easy to tell that's him in that painting, no?" he winked and turned on his heel, "I'm glad you liked my little gift. I must be going now."

"Thank you, Waka-san." Shin shook his head fondly and watched the tall man sweep out of here, "I hope he never leaves Wonderland. He fits in so well." He rolled his eyes and looked back at Hisako, "So, shall I write to Toma and then go looking for Maya? I'm pretty sure I know where that dress shop is. Rika wouldn't shut up about it last time she came over for tea and showed off that ridiculous outfit of hers."

"That sounds like a plan. Meg, do you know how to do a tea ceremony? I want to be welcoming rather than imposing. I know Toma will be easily found and Maya if her reputation is as it is." Hisako nodded as she stood up. "I'll write a letter to Kazuko tonight about that advice we were talking about too. Man, who ever thought that I would be busy solving love problems?"

"You and Shin are the Queen and King of Hearts." Meg pointed out as she followed them out of the room. "If it wasn't relationships you ruled over it'd be sex. Thankfully you keep away from that. I can do a tea ceremony no problem. The Hatter taught me how."

At that, Hisako's expression turned sly, "Says the one that went at it through the day and night. You think we wouldn't know? The land was red and intoxicating like a barafae. If not sex, what would your Kingdom look like?"

Meg never thought about it. To her, the Hatter was Ukyo and no further. The Mad King, the White King, the Immortal King as she heard him be called by locals a long time ago, all were meaningless titles to her. Yes, he might want to rule again, and she did have a royal background to help her with that. But would anyone want her to rule, a bard that she was? "Family." She decided, "that's our Kingdom. That's our people. Children of ours and what not."

Hisako looked a little surprised, "You want to settle?"

"It'd nice. I know he wants children, not as crazy as Ikki, good god, but our own little group. It'd be lovely, even if it's during dangerous times. We can protect each other and them."

Shin smiled and rubbed Megumi's arm and then kissed her forehead, "Maybe seeing the Hatter is something we're all going to be blessed with sooner rather than later." He pulled away and nodded, "I'll write to Toma now, inviting him to tea tomorrow, and then head out in the morning to find Maya and bring her by. Hopefully we'll be making a match and not a mistake."

~*~

Maya was rubbing her knee as the doorbell rang, and she quickly stood up, hiding her wince. It hadn't fully healed and she should have gone to the doctor for it, but she could still walk so it couldn't be broken. Besides, it'd been nearly two weeks and was getting better every day. She made her way to the young man dressed plainly, but she recognized him immediately. "Shifter Shin!" she gaped and bowed quickly.

Shin cursed and got to her side, "Up, up! Shhh, what's the point of dressing like this if you make my presence a big deal?!" he growled at her and watched as she snapped straight again. Looking around, he was glad the only other person was at the far back of the store looking intently at one of the paintings on the wall.  An older gentleman admiring flowers. Lovely flowers, too, just as detailed as the one Waka brought them.

"Why are you here?" Maya asked carefully, "Does the Heart Queen require a dress? Or have you heard about my paintings? News traveled so fast over just three days." She rubbed her temples. Her paintings weren't that amazing, good grief! Why was she becoming so popular like this?! Was Rika paying people? Ugh.

"You sold a painting...the one where the worlds merge between Diamond and Wonder..." Shin pressed his lips together, watching her inner turmoil play on her face, "That man is our friend, Waka, the bakery owner in Wonderland. We...recognized the children in the painting."

Maya paled, which was quite a feat for skin the color of creamed coffee, "You...That...oh god, I knew I shouldn't have sold that one, but Garrett insisted..."

Her fear assaulted his nose, "Shh, no, no, actually...we loved it. Can you take me somewhere private?" She nodded and took him to the back. Safely in a room full of fabric and supplies, he kept going. "That painting is hanging in my mate's study right now since we don't have any pups on the way to make a nursery and hang it there. Hisako...she wanted to invite you to tea. All the while we played together, we never knew someone watched us. We were also very impressed, Maya. Waka told us about the dress shop and that's why I'm here."

"H-Hisako...your mate..." The /Heart Queen/ "Wants to have tea with /me/?"

"Because we liked your painting, yes." Shin wanted to tell her Toma would be there as well, but with how nervous she was he had a sinking feeling that would scare her worse than anything else. "Are you...one of the people that fear her?" He didn't think she was, having seen them as kids, but...

"No! No no, I couldn't possibly! I knew something horrible had happened for her to change so drastically." Maya assured him, "I'm glad she is back to the way she used to be. I always defend her. I had to to Garrett, too. Red should only be used to describe her as the Red Rider, not the Red Queen."

"Who is this Garrett?" Shin's stomach also twisted. Was she already taken? He didn't smell it on her. Pure, which Toma would certainly like. Being his bond brother, pack brother, he had just enough Shifter Senses to tell other Shifter territory or when a woman was already claimed. Saved a lot of trouble, really. Yet, what of her house? If a man frequented her home, that could be bad even if her body was clean. Toma was a jealous man.

Maya flinched, "A rancher, sold your mate her horses. Hates Wonderland, calls it Underland. Was disgusted by the red and purple hues of it during the day and night. Said it was way too pink this morning." She rubbed her cheeks, "He won't leave me alone. I met him by the tree I'd watch you three by, and he's been doing all he can to keep me from going near it. Doesn't like that my cottage is but a quick trot away. Roughly a twenty minute walk." She clarified, "I thought he was a good guy, but he's controlling. I had a feeling, but as sound as his logic was, he's making me get rid of my paintings because he doesn't like them. He's turning my place upside down."

Not the Wonderland fun times upside down, either. "I wasn't expecting to get a confession when I came by." He drawled, "If he's bothering you, you now have /several/ people who could take care of him for you."

Maya panicked, "I'm sorry! It's my problem, I'll take care of it. He hasn't hurt me. It's okay." She waved her hands, "As much as I love Hisako, I don't want her to bloody her hands again. You, either, as the jabberwocky beast. You're trying so hard to get away from that period in your lives. Don't let me and my problems bring you down."

The way she cared about them even though she'd never met them did strike his heart. She was a good woman. Toma would like her. Perhaps, if they couldn't help her, Toma could. "Well, I suppose the one question this all boils down to is will you come over for tea? It's supposed to be this noon, with little sandwiches to go along with it. Hatter's mate, Megumi, is throwing it together."

Maya shifted from panic to cheer. Her emotions gave him whiplash. He was just glad she didn't cry. "So they /were/ the reason why Wonderland was like that last night! I'd love to meet Princess Megumi, and Queen Hisako."

"Then, how about you close down your shop, and I'll meet you outside."

~

Maya gaped as she looked around the area. The wall of the maze was at least ten feet tall, red and white roses and other flowers with faces lining it. The tile stone was white and black checkered, and Shin was leading her expertly through it and she cheered, clapping as she saw a fountain standing tall with a long table full of a bunch of different kinds of treats, little pasties and cakes and tiny sandwiches and sitting in the middle was a pretty red teapot sitting on a black plate with white cups around it. There were...five cups? Odd, but she didn't say anything about it.

Shin went over to Hisako who was talking to Meg and hugged her from behind, "I'm home." 'Is Toma here or is he still coming?' He didn't say anything out loud, still unsure about Maya's reaction.

He's here, admiring the garden right now. Hisako answered as she hugged him back, "Welcome home, wolf." She leaned up for a kiss and grinned at Megumi's squeal.

"Oh! Maya right?! Hello!" Megumi greeted since Hisako was too busy being enamored. "I'm glad you decided to come. I'm Megumi, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Maya responded to her enthusiasm in kind and beamed, curtsying and grasping her hands, wanting to bounce up and down like a school girl greeting a friend after the summer apart, "I'm Maya! It's so good to meet you! I hear so much about you and the Hatter! How is he? Wonderland did so many strange things, strange even for it, last night. Are you two okay? I got worried."

"We're fine, more than fine besides the odd dizzy spell, but that's just part of the spell I'm sure." Megumi waved it off with a warm, bright smile. She was touched that a stranger was worried about her and Ukyo. He was pleased too, though there was a bite of concern in the breeze. "He's pleased you were worried about him too."

Maya gave herself a seat beside Megumi, giggling, "You can tell that by the wind? That's so amazing!" She looked at the array of treats and her mouth watered. She was so hungry, having skipped breakfast and then had been so busy at the shop. "Thank you so much for the food!" she chirped at Hisako happily and reached for a muffin, and watched as Megumi poured tea from the pot, refilling Hisako's and hers before setting the fourth cup in front of her.

Shin finally pulled away from Hisako to look at one of the many entrance/exits to the maze where a shadow lurked, "Admiring from a far, brother?" he arched a brow, "I didn't take you for the type to hide." It was a playful jab, but he wanted to see how Toma and Maya interacted together.

Maya froze mid-bite of the chocolate muffin and looked over where Shin was, and hair like golden rays of sunlight was what she saw first as a playful voice answered Shin.

"You make me out to be a stalker or some other unsavory character. You'll scare the women away. Woman in actuality." Toma answered as he came output of the maze and gave the tea party a glance over. He blinked in surprise at the woman that was sitting next to Megumi and sent Shin a curious glance. Was this the woman that danced with him? She had the curves, but he wasn't close enough to see her eyes that captivated him so at the dance. He walked leisurely over to the table. "I don't think I could count Meg as one."

Meg raised an eyebrow, "A jab at my character or a jab at my healing?"

"A mere tease at the fact that you're too easily influenced by wolves." Toma answered smoothly. "Whose our mystery guest? No one from Wonderland."

The food in her mouth felt too dry and too thick. She did her best to chew and swallow, and it settled like she had just eaten a brick. She took the tea and drank a bit, enjoying the taste of rose-hips, dandelion and other herbs and spices. "M-My name is Maya. I live in the Diamond Kingdom." She answered quietly, shyly, her whole face hot. She looked at Hisako, "The tea is delicious. I know you're talented in herbology. Did you make it?"

"Waka brought us /quite/ the curious painting yesterday." Shin answered Toma while Maya had started her own conversation with his mate. He went over to the seat across from Megumi, next to Hisako, which left the only seat available to be the one either at the end of the table or next to him across from Maya. Five seats, five cups, five people. "Turns out, she's the one who made it. It's perched behind Hisako's chair, she brought it out from the study to show you."

"As talented as I am, no. The Hatter was the one that sent it with regards he wouldn't come. I did ask him since he's Megumi's husband now, but he still remains ever elusive as the curling smoke of a fire place." Hisako shook her head from side to side, clearly fond and exasperated. "He's well versed in the makings of a proper tea. He taught Meg the ceremony a long time ago. So, while it's my idea, I'm afraid they are the performers."

She turned to Shin when she heard them mention the painting, "Yes! Come look. A memory etched in paint!"

Toma walked over, mildly eyeing Maya as he suspected that she was the one he danced with that magical evening. He looked over at the picture and blinked. He was quite surprised at the children. They could look like anyone, but to him and his family near, he knew they weren't any children. Especially the one that held so much likeness to him. "Oh.."

Maya's hand covered her mouth and she bit her lip behind it. It was so surreal, seeing them all together like this, all grown up.

"It seems as though most of the times we played, we had a little stalker of our own, Toma." Shin wanted to pinch the bridge of his nose or rub his temples. Maya seemed ready to bolt at any second, but she would only get lost amidst the maze. "She's got quite a wide selection in her dress shop that she's selling. I don't know /how/ Waka-san got so lucky in capturing that piece, but he did. Also mentioned how your mother's been unsuccessful in getting your portrait on the walls. He's not very subtle."

Toma thought about it. The artists his mom picked out were just as bad as the women. He looked over at her, who looked like she was nearly going to bolt or faint. Thankfully they were in Wonderland. The Hatter could treat her like a child and make sure she didn't get to the forest, and all of them knew the maze. Megumi was the easiest person to talk to, so he'd use her should something go wrong. Now, she was waiting -quite anxiously- to know his thoughts. "Do you do commissions or are you the type that does her paintings by whim?"